SatNav question....

singist

singist

singist

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
4,445
Location
Student Hell Headingley
Can anyone tell me ....... why it's ok to have a Sat Nav screen on your dashboard but would be considered as driving without due care etc if reading a map on the steering wheel? ..... or have I got it all wrong and the Sat Nav screen switches off when you're mobile?

Genuine question; it just seems very odd that one is ok and the other not.
 
to read a map you either have to look away from where you are going or hold it up and block your view.

A satnav unit is usually attached to the windscreen so its easy enough to view it and the road ahead. Plus, they tell you the directions anyway so its like having a navigator in the car.
 
The main screen on sat nav systems are only intended to be looked at very briefly whilst driving to get an overview of your current position and heading, actual navigation is performed either by listening to the voice directions or (where fitted) by using a smaller screen in the instrument binnacle. In this way, it's no different than glancing at the radio display momentarily.

In contrast, reading a map takes a hell of a lot longer. You can't just glance at a map for a split second to work out your next turn, you have to find yourself on the page again, compensate for the fact that the map is always north-up when you probably aren't, and then work out how far to the next turning and which way it is. Try doing that in a split second.
 
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